When dealing with people, remember you are not dealing with creatures of logic, but with creatures bristling with prejudice and motivated by pride and vanity.

This line is widely attributed to Dale Carnegie in the context of his early self-improvement and interpersonal-skills teaching, especially the principles popularized through his lectures and bestselling book on influence and human relations during the Great Depression era. Carnegie’s work emphasized that persuasion and cooperation depend less on winning arguments and more on understanding the emotional drivers—status, self-image, and resentment—that shape everyday behavior. The quote encapsulates a recurring theme in his advice: effective communication begins with empathy for human irrationality and sensitivity to pride, rather than reliance on purely logical appeals.

Carnegie argues that human interaction is governed primarily by emotion and ego rather than detached reasoning. “Prejudice,” “pride,” and “vanity” point to the ways people protect identity and status, often resisting facts that threaten self-esteem. The practical implication is rhetorical and ethical: if you want to change minds or resolve conflict, you must address feelings—acknowledging dignity, avoiding humiliation, and framing requests in ways that let others save face. The quote also serves as a caution against moralizing rationalism: treating people as logic machines leads to frustration, while recognizing psychological motives enables more humane and effective persuasion.